


Who Am I Without Her?

by eviestevie



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Some good old fashioned angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviestevie/pseuds/eviestevie
Summary: Being separated from Nora gave Ren too much time to think. He was silent to the outside world, but his thoughts were screaming.
Relationships: Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	Who Am I Without Her?

**Author's Note:**

> This was a tumblr request from @amozon28
> 
> Enjoy 😊

Snow fell gently from the dark night sky, Ren sat underneath a lamppost, the light only allowing him to see a few feet in front of him. He stared blankly into the tundra, watching the snow fall and melt into his hand, disappearing to never be seen again. Ren almost wished he could disappear himself. It was all too much, the stress, the fear, the losses they had experienced.

He was worried about Oscar, about Mantle, about what Ironwood was doing with Atlas. Every little issue was piling up slowly, weighing heavily on his shoulders, dragging his spirit through the ice and dirt, eroding away all his hope for something better.

He thought of Nora.

Their relationship had taken some hits over the past few days. First, they kissed at the election party, only to be forced to brush it aside and never discuss it due to the attack that soon followed. Then there was the stress with Ironwood, the attack on Mantle, the arrival of Salem’s forces and then the immortal Queen herself, threatening the safety of thousands just with her presence alone.

He remembered how Neo had taken on Nora’s appearance, looking at him with a horrible sadness in her eyes, making him hesitate. He knew it was fake but, for a moment, he really thought he was going to hurt Nora.

No. Ren would never do that, that wasn’t her, and he would never lay a finger on the real Nora.

But... he still hurt her, didn’t he?

Thoughts ran rampant in Ren’s head. How he pushed her away, Nora, the one person who’s been there for him practically their whole lives. He was so callous to her, and for what? To fail and leave things worse than they already were.

Ren felt empty without Nora by his side, it was so quiet when she wasn’t around. Her bright, uplifting energy was all the way across the tundra now, while he sat out in the snow. Alone.

He can’t remember the last time he was alone. Even when he lost his family, his home, he wasn’t alone for long as he had found Nora. They had stuck by each other ever since that day, of course, until now.

Now they were divided, there was a distance between them, both literally and figuratively, a wedge neither of them wanted but the circumstances demanded.

Ren could feel his aura slowly draining where he sat, but he didn’t care. Even if he went inside he would still be freezing, as he felt nothing could warm him now. Not when he felt a hollowing pit sitting in his chest, slowly decaying him from the inside out. Ren wasn’t sure if he would ever feel warm again.

Not when she wasn’t around.

Nora had this strange effect on Ren, whenever she was nearby he would feel warm. A gentle heat would develop in his heart and stomach even when she did something as simple as smile or look at him. He enjoyed the feeling, though he would probably never tell her that, because he wasn’t quite sure what it meant. Therefore, he was worried what would happen if he told Nora about this feeling. Even being preoccupied with all that had happened in Atlas, he still felt that warmth when Nora was around, granted the job of trying to keep the kingdom together had reduced the feeling, but he still felt that flicker of warmth nonetheless when he was by her side.

Now with the way things were, he feared he may never feel that warmth again. He would see Nora again, that was guaranteed, but would she look at him the same? Act the same way and in turn create that sense of warmth that Ren had grown to crave almost constantly? Or was it too late? Was the damage already done so when they reunited and he looked at her all he would feel was chills from her icy, emotionless gaze.

It was so cold without Nora, so quiet and empty. He hated it. He hated how he felt just because she wasn’t around. Was he really so pathetic? Had he really come to rely on the glow she had brought into his life so desperately? To the point where not even the freezing tundra of Atlas could compare to the ice in his chest?

Ren felt like a stranger in his own body, unable to understand anything he was feeling. Nora provided him stability, the warmth she gave him made him feel safe, stable and secure. Now he had lost that and wasn’t sure how to feel, what to feel or why. He was erratic and on edge, snapping at the most minor inconvenience. He was lashing out at his friends, at Nora, he hated it.

Ren didn’t know how to act when Nora wasn’t around.

He wanted to see her, to tell her everything he was feeling, hold her close and cry like a child into her shoulder. Because despite all he had went through, he was still a child, and a helpless one at that. In way over his head, he just wanted to go home. But where was home? Would there ever be a home for Ren? Would it be with Nora?

Or would he still be alone, like he was now?

Ren was so uncertain about whether his past decisions were the right ones, if the choices he was making right now were the best ones and if his future would have anything he wanted.

Ren wasn’t sure about anything. He just wanted her by his side.


End file.
